PDFs of the applicants' profiles are attached to the bottom of this article.
Despite their varied backgrounds, the nine applicants for Hamilton County's Circuit Court judgeship all have one thing in common: If appointed to the bench, they've vowed to check their feelings at the door.
"One rule with which I disagree is [a law] which does not allow for an initial order of protection to extend beyond one year," attorney James Exum III wrote in his application. "Despite my personal feelings or preferences, if appointed to the bench, I will follow and uphold the law as every judge is sworn to do."
"In my civil case, where I am representing the minor child and her family arising out of her aggravated statutory rape by the school bus driver, I observed the Criminal Court Judge placing the bus driver on probation," attorney Catherine White wrote. "The judge carried out his duty even though unpopular, and so will I."
"I have no qualm upholding the law," attorney Curtis Bowe III wrote, "even if I disagree with its substance."
Bowe, Exum, White, Joseph DeGaetano, Kyle Hedrick, Thomas Horne, Alix Michel, Jennifer Peck and Ron Powers each want to replace Circuit Court Judge Neil Thomas when he concludes a 20-year run in October.
None of the applicants wanted to comment Friday, a day after the Tennessee Supreme Court made their applications available to the public. They will be interviewed Aug. 30 by the Trial Court Vacancy Commission at 9 a.m. at The Chattanoogan hotel. Afterward, the commission is expected to vote immediately on which three names to send to Gov. Bill Haslam for consideration.
Their applications, however, reveal more about the attorneys.
A handful have applied for judgeships in other courts: Bowe applied for Juvenile Court judge in 2013 before county commissioners voted for attorney Rob Philyaw. DeGaetano applied twice for Hamilton County General Sessions Court judge in 2005 and 2012. Powers, who currently sets criminal bonds as a magistrate, applied for General Sessions Court judge and served as a Municipal Court judge for South Pittsburg from 2013-2017. White already tried for a Circuit Court seat in 2013 and a Chancery Court appointment in 2010.
Others started in nonlegal backgrounds: Peck was an event manager in the 1990s before going to law school in Virginia Beach and returning to Chattanooga to operate a family practice. Horne studied music and was a teacher in California until he relocated to Tennessee and gravitated to insurance-focused litigation at Luther- Anderson PLLP.
Some have honed in on politics and religion: DeGaetano was elected chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party in February, Michel has focused on medical malpractice and the nationwide concern over opioid and heroin addiction, and Hedrick emphasized his judicial temperament as a youth director and family man.
"I believe my service for twelve years as a Youth Minister and more than thirty years as a practicing attorney allow me to better understand family dynamics - both from external experience as well as being married for 33 years with three children, a son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and a new grandson," Hedrick wrote.
White, conversely, mentioned she'd been divorced in her application, but said the experience would give her better insight into families going through the same thing. Circuit Court handles a lot of divorces, orders of protection, wrongful death, personal injury and child support cases.
"I can bring to the bench more insight, empathy, and understanding for the difficulties the parties are facing," White wrote. "As noted before, 50 percent of Hamilton County's Circuit Court cases are domestic cases."
All of the local judgeships - Circuit, Chancery, Criminal, General Sessions and Juvenile - have eight-year terms. Once he receives the recommendations, Haslam could ask the commission to send him three new names, as he did in June 2015 while selecting a replacement on Hamilton County's Criminal Court.
Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at zpeterson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347. Follow him on Twitter @zackpeterson918.